


There's Nothing I Wanna Do (As Long as I Can Do You)

by AmnestySystem



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Boats and Ships, Dragons, Illnesses, Letters, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Pirates, Sirens, how tf do i tag this, no beta we die like friend, questionable boat anatomy, they get on a boat and do adventures idk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:00:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29556684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmnestySystem/pseuds/AmnestySystem
Summary: Ant is a legendary sailor and pirate, having recently joined one of the most fearsome crews in all the land. Until one day, the whole ship vanishes, leaving Velvet to try to figure our what happened to his beloved, with the help of a less-than-useful crew of his own.Or, Ant goes missing and Velvet + the Idots have to rescue him(Title from Ride With U)
Relationships: Antfrost/VelvetIsCake (Video Blogging RPF), Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch, Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch, background karlnapity - Relationship, skeppy and bad are in a queerplatonic relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. I

_My dearest Velvet,_

_I apologise for the delay between letters, Dream has been working us all to the bone recently. It is for a good cause though. Once our work is done, my love, we will be set for life. No more work, no long months without seeing each other. We can finally be together properly, god knows you deserve a man who is there for you._

_There is not much I can tell you of this adventure, unfortunately. It appears the ocean is on our side this time, as we have had little difficulty in our travels. That is sure to change soon, so I might as well be grateful while it lasts._

_Dream sends his regards! He is not one for letters, I’m sure you know that by now, but he speaks dearly of you and has asked me to deliver his best wishes. Bad as well, in the brief moments he has stopped going on about his own man at home. I feel for him, despite his likeness to a damaged record player. It isn’t easy to leave the people you love._

_Unfortunately, my dear, this letter may have to be cut short. I’ve been forbidden from sharing details about our journey, lest this letter somehow fall into the wrong hands, so I must be satisfied with reminding you of my love. You are my Earth, Velvet. You are the ground beneath my feet just as you are the horizon that I pursue. Even after all these years you still surprise and amaze me. I can only hope to some day show you how much you truly mean to me in return, and I will never stop trying until we are both far beyond the grave._

_With love,_

_\- Ant_

The careful script was almost unreadable now, ink faded and smudged with sprays of seawater and dripped tears. Countless creases intercepted each line. Velvet’s hands dug into the paper, a small rip appearing along the edge.

It had been forever since he received the letter. He’d tried to send responses, he’d tried so many times, but the messengers always returned with apologies and explanations that the ship, famous as it was, couldn’t be found. It was gone, as if it had been plucked from the planet’s surface by a furious deity.

Velvet didn’t know what had happened to his lover, but he knew he couldn’t stand by and let him vanish. He had to get him back, no matter the cost.

* * *

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” His mother’s eyes stared into his imploringly. “You know how I worry, if anything happens to you out there I’ll have no way of knowing.”

Velvet took her hands gently, pulling them back from his face. “I’ll be fine. Please understand, you would do the same thing if it were father. I need to find him.”

Her face only creased further. “I understand, my son, but I beg you, be careful out there. The seas are no place for people like us. They cannot be controlled, and any attempt to do so will be met with nothing but despair. No painting can match her rage, you will have no way to prepare for it.” As if to emphasise the point, she stretched out her hands, still coated in flecks of dark paint.

“I know, mother, but I need to do this. I must know what happened. He’s my everything.”

“I get it,” she sighed, leaning into him. “I wish I didn’t, but I do. Be careful, Velvet. Keep your wits about you, and trust no one. Return to me safely, my dove.”

Velvet leaned his forehead against hers. “I will, I swear it.”

* * *

“So you need… what, transportation?” The man laughed, shaking his head. Tanned fingers tapped lightly on the barrels around them. “Sorry, bud, but we’re not a cruise ship.”

“I know that,” Velvet snapped. His patience was beginning to wear thin, this boat was his last chance, and the only one he could rely on. “I know Bad, okay? I need to board this ship.”

As if blown out by a candle, the man’s face fell. His eyes were stretched wide as if a ghost had flown through him. “Bad? My Bad?”

“Yes!” Finally, they were getting somewhere. “You’re Skeppy, right? We haven’t spoken before, but I’ve heard about you, and I need your help.”

Skeppy swallowed roughly and nodded. “O-of course, what do you need?” In a quiet voice, he added, “I haven’t spoken to Bad in a long time, have you heard from him?”

“I haven’t. Not from any of their crew.” The sharp ache in his chest began to grow. “They’re gone. No one can find them. I… I hoped maybe, with your help, we could.”

He didn’t miss the way the man’s hands trembled when he responded. “Yes, yes, definitely. I was worried, sure, but I didn’t realise… I just thought it was bad timing, that they got caught up in an adventure, I…”

“I’m sure they’re fine.” _They have to be._ “But they need to be found.”

Skeppy nodded. “They do. Come on, the sooner we set off the better. Do you know where they were going? Bad only told me they were headed North, said he couldn’t share any more than that.”

Velvet shook his head, following the man aboard the ship. “Not a word more than you know already.”

He flinched when Skeppy let out a yell, watching the rest of the crew scramble onto the deck. They were an interesting lot, to say the least. Few were taller than him, save for one man who towered over the rest, brown hair swept over his forehead and clothes shockingly tidy in comparison to those around him.

Velvet tried to make note of everyone else there. A shorter man with dark skin and a glint in his eye that seemed vaguely threatening. Two men mid-argument, one rolling his eyes while the other continually stepped closer, both fairly plain-looking. A… person, whose expression glowed with challenge as they flicked a knife in one hand.

“Everyone, meet…” Skeppy glanced at him. “Actually, wait, what was your name?”

He forced himself to stand tall, fighting back the heat that rose automatically to his face. “Velvet.”

Skeppy’s dark eyes lit up with recognition. “Oh, of course, I’ve heard Bad talk about you before! Everyone, this is Velvet. We’re going to be taking a bit of a detour, since our beloved friends seem to have gone missing. Velvet’s going to be, uh, helping us until we find them.”

No one seemed particularly bothered, a fact he was grateful for.

“Velvet, this is everyone. Spifey,” he gestured towards the tall, neatly-kept man, “Harvey,” the shorter one, expression carefully unreadable, “Zelk, Vurb,” the two who were arguing, and continued to send silent glares towards each other, though the latter’s stare seemed to have an undercurrent that made him shiver, “and Finn.” The final member of the crew gave him a short nod, still opening and closing the knife in their grip. “No time to waste, the sooner we leave the sooner we can find them.”

Velvet’s stomach twisted as he watched them scatter, and he turned to Skeppy, voice low. “I, uh, I’ve never really… been on a boat before.”

A pause, a moment of considering, then Skeppy’s face broke into laughter. “Holy shit, seriously? You’re dating one of the most feared and legendary pirates in the entire world, how have you never been on a boat?”

“I’m not really one for the ocean.” Even standing here, it made his blood run cold, knowing the terrifying mistress was just below his feet. His family had never been particularly close to the sea, a fact he was hesitant to change. “Never got the right chance to, you know?”

Skeppy shook his head. “You’re going to die out here, I’ll tell you that much. Ah well, could be a lot worse. We know what we’re doing, so one freeloader won’t be too much trouble. Just stay out of the way and let us work.”

Velvet nodded quickly. “Of course, of course.”

“Great!” Skeppy grinned and stepped back. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have very important captain business to get back to. Good luck!”

For a moment Velvet pondered leaving, turning away and never coming back, but his boyfriend’s silhouette floated in the back of his mind and he cast the thought away. As he told his mother, he had to do this, for Ant. If that meant living on a ship with a crew of uncivilised creatures who seemed more likely to stab him than aid him, so be it. He would do what he had to.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family (crew) bonding time with fancy boy

The air on Velvet’s face was icy, pinpricks of cold that spread across his skin like poisoned snowflakes. It reminded him of his younger years, the hours he spent running and playing in the ice. The moment he met a gloomy-faced stranger, frown quickly fading as they spoke. The butterflies in his stomach when the stranger kissed him, leaving him trembling in the snow until his mother called him home. Memories made his heart ache, and he shook his head to get rid of them.

“So…” A person shuffled up beside him. Spifey, if he remembered correctly. “What are you doing?”

“Thinking.” He kept his gaze away from the ocean under them, instead staring out at the horizon, the faint smear of sunlight that still shone. His fingers itched, gripping a phantom brush. A sight as beautiful as this, yet within moments it would simply fade and vanish. The thought made his stomach clench with grief. How others could simply see things disappear, he didn’t know.

“Yeah, yeah, cool.” Spifey leaned back on his elbows, wind scattering hair over his eyes. There was an odd sort of beauty to the man, a warmth in his face and a delicate pattern to the curls that covered it. In the back of his mind, Velvet wondered what colours would make him up, and how difficult it would be to display the sailor on a canvas.

Velvet spared a glance down, at the glimmering gold letters that had confused him since he boarded, spilling across the side of the ship. “Your boat, what is it called?”

The brunet beside him let out a sudden laugh. “Well, it was supposed to say ‘idiots’, but we were all pretty tired, and no one was paying enough attention to notice until the next day. So it’s ‘idots’ now.”

“…sure.”

“Anyway,” Spifey pressed on, “we were just gathering for a card game. You’re free to join in if you want, but no pressure, eh?”

He nodded hesitantly. “Um… thank you, I’ll consider it.”

He really didn’t want to spend any more time with these men than he had to. He was doing this for Ant, and he loved him dearly, but despite how kind Ant’s friends seemed, the same could not be said for his other attachments. This was doubly true for Bad, a kindhearted soul who apparently chose the most inhuman of men to befriend. Velvet swore he saw Vurb chasing after another member of the crew earlier, yelling words that he would rather throw himself into the ocean than repeat. The vile man was matched only by Finn, who had perched halfway up the mast when confronted for some unknown act, ignoring Skeppy’s angered shouts and gouging unreadable words into the already-damaged wood.

Velvet barely noticed when Spifey slid away, muttering something under his breath, instead casting his gaze back out into the distance. The sun had sunk lower in the sky, now barely more than a dark, faded gray. It was growing steadily colder, and before long Velvet found himself shivering, cursing the thin clothing he brought onboard. He glanced back at the light that glowed behind him, emanating from deeper in the ship. It did look much more comfortable, and he supposed that he couldn’t hide from the crew forever. Drawing in a deep breath, he started walking.

“Ooh, the pretty boy’s getting social.” He jumped at the voice behind him, spinning to greet a shadowed, grinning face. “Decided we weren’t so bad after all?”

The man’s eyes glinted with faint torchlight and Velvet felt a spark of recognition. _Vurb_.

“Yes,” he said slowly. If the reactions everyone else on this ship had to the man were any clue, he had reason to be wary.

Vurb snorted, as if reading his thoughts, and slung an arm around his shoulders. “Ah, I’m not that bad, they just like being dramatic.”

“If I’m not mistaken, it was you I saw chasing after a crewmate yelling about-”

“Toes?” Vurb grinned. “Yeah, Harvey’s got great feet. But I’ll leave yours alone, I know you’ve got a boyfriend.”

Velvet tried not to screw up his face. “…thanks.”

“Well, what are we just standing out here for?” The man’s grip tightened, pulling him towards the cabin. “Let’s get in there, I’m sure everyone’s waiting!”

That statement seemed to be proven false when a collective groan rose up from the gathered crew as Vurb entered the room, yet his grin only widened. There was an uncomfortable moment where Velvet wondered what to do next, until Skeppy smiled and patted the bench beside him. He sat down gratefully.

“Velvet, right?” Finn was balanced on a stack of boxes, legs crossed at the knee. His fingers were curled delicately around his cards, but Velvet could see the familiar knife strapped to his belt, shining in the flickering lamplight. “Nice to meet you, dude. We didn’t really get to talk earlier.”

Velvet dipped his head. “Y-yes, nice to meet you too.”

“What do you do?” Harvey asked. He smirked as Zelk threw down his hand, muttering a string of curses. “Skeppy mentioned you aren’t much of a boat person.”

“I come from a family of artists,” he explained, after a moment of caution. A couple of them perked up at his words. “Music, painting, mostly that sort of thing. Haven’t had time to explore sailing.”

Skeppy’s dark gaze shone with curiosity. “I play drums, you know. Art is cool, I figured you just swam in money pools or something.”

“That sounds like a complete waste,” Velvet snorted.

He heard Spifey chuckle, Vurb settling beside the man. They were resting on one of the hammocks slung around the room. Spifey hissed and shoved Vurb to a different one when gravity slid the two into each other. Vurb seemed unbothered, laughing and falling into another.

Finn smirked. “Figures that Ant would pick an artist, he’s always had a flair for the dramatic.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m dramatic…”

“Velvet.” Harvey gave him a blank stare. “You have spent this entire day leaning oh-so-dramatically over the edge of the ship staring into the distance. You’re not even trying to be subtle about it, dude.”

His face burned. “I- that’s not-”

“Leave the poor man alone!” Skeppy looped an arm around him, pulling him close. “It’s not his fault he’s brooding and mysterious!”

“But-”

“Ah!” Skeppy slapped his free hand over his mouth. “Poor little prince, you need to rest! Can’t have you wasting that precious voice of yours, you’ll need it to sing to your animal sidekick later!”

The dark urge to lick the captain’s hand entered his head, but he swept it aside. He wouldn’t act like these feral seafolk. He was an artist, a refined gentleman. It wasn’t fitting to act like that.

But here, in a bright, warm cabin out in the middle of the ocean, further away from home than he’d ever been, he wondered if the wild energy could be better than it seemed.


End file.
